Embracing Discomfort: Debra Stone on Global Perspectives, Adaptability, and Happiness

Truth Tastes Funny with Hersh Rephun

In the wake of a heated and emotional US election cycle, Hersh sits down with international executive Debra Stone to talk through the business and personal cultures at play, from America to Europe and beyond. The Founder & Managing Partner of Prism Coaching, Debra holds a master’s in business management from Boston University. After more than a decade in the US service sector industry, working for publicly traded companies (Verizon), she pursued a career in executive leadership for international organizations in the Europe and MEA region. Debra held senior leadership roles in the commercial launch of large-scale mobile telecom companies (France Telecom, Orange, BellSouth) across multiple countries, grew businesses into customer-focused enterprises, and helped scale multi-international startups.

With 30 years of experience in global leadership and living across three continents, Debra offers broad perspective and creativity to her coaching. Her coaching and leadership clients come from highly diverse cultures and work in a variety of industries and countries.

Debra is also an adjunct professor, having built and taught courses at Boston University and Brussels School of Governance (BSoG). Drawing from her many professional lives, she continues to lecture and teach international business and leadership courses to students from across the globe and regularly holds workshops with medium and large companies in transition along with scientists, engineers and early-stage start-up CEO’s.

Connect with Debra website : prism-coach.com LinkedIn Profile : linkedin.com/in/debbiestonebrussels

(0:00) Embracing discomfort and developing self-awareness (1:19) Introducing guest Debra Stone and her background (2:29) Discussing the US elections and global perspectives (3:17) Cultural differences in feedback, kindness, and racism (9:11) Evolution of communication and division in international business (16:15) Understanding and dealing with the BANI framework (21:41) Strategies for addressing anxiety and fostering adaptability (26:24) Balancing resistance and adaptability in a complex world (27:23) Democracy, advice for young people, and the pursuit of happiness (32:00) Lessons from French culture and living a good life (33:03) Where to find Debra Stone